Pushing forward with its ambitions to overhaul the U.S. air traffic control system on an expedited timeline, the FAA has awarded contracts to RTX’s Collins Aerospace and Indra Group USA to replace the nation’s network of ground-based radars. The agency will tap into the $12.5 billion in funding Congress furnished the agency for ATC modernization in July to pay for the new contracts.

Plans call to replace up to 612 radars by June 2028 with “modern, commercially available” surveillance radars. The work is to begin this quarter with replacements prioritizing high-traffic areas, the agency said.

Collins Aerospace and Indra will work with Peraton, which last month was named as the prime integrator for the overarching modernization program. RTX valued its portion of the contract at $438 million and said Collins would install the Condor Mk3, a cooperative surveillance radar capable of communicating directly with aircraft transponders, along with the ASR-XM, a non-cooperative radar that detects aircraft using reflected signals.

Indra Group USA received a $342 million contract. The systems will be produced at Indra Group USA’s new manufacturing facility in the Kansas City area, the company said. In November, the company won an FAA contract valued at up to $244.3 million to manufacture, test, and qualify up to 46,000 next-generation radios, as well as provide support for 10 years.

A ban on business aircraft at Eindhoven Airport (EHEH) in the Netherlands went into effect on January 1. Announced in November 2023, the measure is intended to form part of the airport’s plan to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and noise by 30%.

The European Business Aviation Association (EBAA) has tried to have the ban overturned with the support of its local Dutch chapter. However, on Monday, a spokesman for the group confirmed that many aircraft previously based at Eindhoven have relocated to Rotterdam Airport (EHRD).

The Netherlands has emerged as a hostile environment for business aviation, with the country’s parliament recently voting to introduce a new passenger tax for charter flights from the start of 2030. EBAA’s leadership team, which is stepping up efforts to have this levy reversed, has also identified slot restrictions as a wider problem at European airports that requires lobbying efforts in 2026.

Eindhoven, in the south of the Netherlands, is a hub for companies involved in sectors such as semiconductors, health technology, mobility, and energy. Royal Philips, which now has its world headquarters in Amsterdam, formerly had a flight department based at Eindhoven and was a founding member of EBAA.

On December 29, the Dutch Ministry of Defence issued a permit for civil aircraft operations at Eindhoven, a joint-use military base, that limits these to 41,500 movements in 2026.

Hourly jet card rates rose more slowly than inflation last year, according to a new pricing analysis from Private Jet Card Comparisons. This signals a period of stabilization following the sharp increases seen during the pandemic-era surge in private aviation demand, it said.

The company’s latest quarterly review shows average jet card hourly rates were up 1.7% at the end of 2025 versus a year earlier, below current U.S. inflation estimates of roughly 2.7% to 2.9%. Compared with pre-pandemic pricing in fourth-quarter 2019, rates are up 26.9%, roughly in line with cumulative inflation over the same period.

At the end of last year, the average jet card hourly rate across seven aircraft categories was $11,578. Pricing varied significantly by aircraft type, ranging from an average of $6,625 per hour for turboprops to $19,208 per hour for ultra-long-range jets. Rates include the 7.5% federal excise tax and fuel surcharges and are based on occupied flight hours.

While overall pricing growth has moderated, longer-term increases since 2019 vary widely by category. Turboprop hourly rates are up 39.1% over six years, while ultra-long-haul jets have seen cumulative increases of 14.1%.

The analysis also found improved contract flexibility. Average peak days across jet card programs fell to 35.6 in 2025, down from 44.6 a year earlier and well below the 55.7 average recorded during the height of demand in 2022.

The FAA has found the city of Santa Monica, California, in violation of grant assurances as it stockpiled surplus revenues generated by Santa Monica Municipal Airport (KSMO), which is scheduled to close on Dec. 31, 2028. By accumulating surplus airport revenues it intended to spend on general city services after KSMO’s closure, FAA director Michael Helvey ruled the city had violated federal law, which requires all airport revenues collected from aeronautical and non-aeronautical activities, such as airport real estate leases, to be spent on airport operations or improvements.

In 2024, a complaint filed by a pilot and a KSMO-based repair station, with support from NBAA, accused the city of failing to use the entire airport revenue surplus to reduce rates charged to aviation users. While the city slashed KSMO’s aeronautical use rates, the airport is slated to close with a non-aeronautical surplus of approximately $19 million, which it believed could be used for municipal expenditures.

“Under usual circumstances, a federally obligated airport that desires to close must have FAA approval to do so,” Helvey stated. “As part of that approval process, the FAA directs where any surplus revenue will be expended upon closure.”

The agency ordered Santa Monica to review and adjust its non-aeronautical budget to conform with federal obligations, while updating its aeronautical rates each year until closure. The city has 30 days to appeal the ruling.

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With the purchase of two offshore-configured Leonardo AW189 super-medium helicopters, Azerbaijan-based ASG Helicopter Services is inaugurating the AW189 into service in Central Asia and the Caucasus region. The company’s first AW189 arrived on December 17, and the second is expected to enter service early this year.

ASG is an authorized service center for the AW109 and AW139 and now also for the AW189. The company operates six AW139s in offshore services, two AW139s for search and rescue and EMS, and AW109 GrandNew light twins for passenger transport and aerial filming.

With a maximum cruise speed of 159 knots, the AW189 has a maximum weight of 18,298 pounds with an option for 18,960 pounds. Its main transmission can run without oil for 50 minutes. The helicopter is equipped with an auxiliary power unit and it is the only helicopter “in its class featuring a full ice-protection system,” according to Leonardo, “or, alternatively, a limited ice-protection system." More than 200 kits are certified for the AW189.

Ten years after certification, approximately 100 AW189s are in service, and more than 160 have been ordered, with more than 50 flying in offshore transport roles.

Sustainable aviation fuel producer Neste has retrenched some of its stated climate commitments from five years ago when it joined as a signatory to the Climate Pledge. In 2020, the company, one of the world’s largest renewable fuels refiners, pledged to halve its operational carbon emissions by 2030 and reach carbon-neutral production by 2035.

Citing its current financial position and streamlined investment portfolio as factors, the Finland-based company noted that reaching those goals would entail significant investments “that are not currently realistic.” Instead, Neste set new targets of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in its own operations by 80% by 2040. The timeline for the related interim target of 50% emission reduction was extended from 2030 to 2035.

CEO Heikki Malinen noted that Neste’s current financial position does not allow for further major capital expenditure beyond the ongoing €2.5 billion investment in the expansion of its renewables refinery in Rotterdam. “As investment projects in our industry take years to complete, the timelines of our climate targets have to be delayed under the current circumstances.”

Unchanged are the company’s goals to help reduce its customers' greenhouse gas emissions by 20 tonnes a year by 2030, and to reduce the use-phase emission intensity of its products by 50% by 2040.

Sentient Jet and business aviation services firm ACASS have each introduced cryptocurrency payment options. The initiatives, announced separately, reflect growing demand from high-net-worth clients for faster, more flexible payment methods for jet cards and air charter services.

Sentient Jet has added cryptocurrency payments for jet card holders and new members through a partnership with blockchain payment processor BitPay. Clients can pay using select cryptocurrencies including Bitcoin, Ethereum, and U.S.-dollar-backed stablecoins, with all transactions settled in U.S. dollars.

In parallel, digital payment gateway Coinpayments has partnered with ACASS to introduce cryptocurrency payments for business aviation services, beginning with a European rollout next month. Using Coinpayments’ invoicing system, ACASS air charter clients will be able to complete crypto transactions via secure payment links. The companies said the partnership responds to demand for faster settlement of large payments, particularly for urgent and last-minute charter requests, where traditional fiat transfers can create operational bottlenecks.

Both initiatives point to a common driver: speed. Coinpayments said digital payments, including stablecoins, enable rapid, frictionless settlement compared with conventional methods, strengthening service levels for high-value aviation transactions. Coinpayments entered the aviation sector in May through a partnership with Jetcraft, and the ACASS agreement expands its presence in the market.

MRO provider AAR and Collins Aerospace have signed a multi-year extension of their global distribution agreement covering Collins’ Goodrich deicing and specialty systems product line. AAR’s global logistics network serves general aviation, commercial aviation, and defense markets.

The Goodrich products include pneumatic deicing boots, electrothermal deicing systems, propeller deicers, and potable water systems.

AAR’s services to the aviation industry and OEMs include just-in-time delivery of factory-new parts, designated engineering representative repairs, extending sales reach into challenging regions, explaining “competitive PMA pricing and perceived technical differences,” and maximizing “reach and market share with U.S. and foreign governments/defenses," according to AAR.

“AAR is proud to continue delivering availability, responsiveness, and technical support to the wide range of customers who rely on Collins Aerospace Goodrich deicing solutions,” said Frank Landrio, AAR’s senior v-p of distribution. “Our execution and ability to gain market share have resulted in tremendous growth of this product line.”